• Gaming industry forecast to generate revenues of $128.5 billion by 2020
• 42 percent of global gaming revenues will be generated by mobile gaming
• AppSwarm has developed proprietary review process to assess the benefits of new apps

The global gaming industry is expected to grow by almost eight percent over 2016 and to generate a total of approximately $110 billion in revenues this year, from 2.2 billion games worldwide, according to Newzoo’s Global Games Market Report released in April 2017 (http://dtn.fm/sFUV0). The largest market is in the Asia-Pacific region, with China generating a quarter of all revenues in 2017. Newzoo predicts that this industry will show a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.2 percent to reach $128.5 billion by 2020. Furthermore, the report forecasts that mobile gaming will generate 42 percent of gaming revenues worldwide, with over three quarters of this derived from smartphone gaming. AppSwarm, Inc. (OTC: SWRM) has made major inroads into this industry by acquiring apps for all devices from developers who need assistance with marketing their products.

The company recently acquired the game ‘Soccers’, which is available from the iTunes store, from TGTStudios. This soccer game is an interactive app that allows gamers to choose from a number of teams, with five levels of difficulty. AppSwarm also acquired ‘Komandir’ from the Russian app development agency Shooterboy Entertainment. It’s a virtual reality game providing an intense gaming experience that has become popular with gamers globally. The game can be downloaded from both Google Play and the Apple App Store. By acquiring ‘Komandir’, AppSwarm is tapping into the fast-growing virtual reality market, which is expected to reach $7.2 billion in revenue worldwide this year, according to Greenlight Insights (http://dtn.fm/O2a41). The growing trend is likely to continue over the next few years, the Greenlight analysis shows, indicating that the virtual reality sector will become a major marketplace worth more than $74.8 billion by 2021.

AppSwarm has released several other games, among them a game called ‘Dead Uncleansed’, a tower defense game featuring zombies, as well as ‘Avenging Soldiers’ from well-known mobile games developer Freak X Apps.

The company is continually looking at applications from developers with the potential to market through a stock purchase agreement, outright purchase, partnership, joint venture or royalty agreement. AppSwarm brings its expertise in capitalization, business management, marketing and product development to the table to help young entrepreneurs get their innovative apps to market. The company assesses the viability of apps by using its proprietary screening process, the Swarm, which is a highly selective procedure that enables it to review and assess the benefits of each new app the AppSwarm team comes across. The company tends to focus on mergers and acquisitions through which it can apply its acumen in all areas of business in order to ensure a successful outcome.

On November 29, 2017, AppSwarm, alongside SinglePoint, Inc. (OTC: SING), announced the development of a joint roll-out of mobile applications for the purchase of cannabis using bitcoin payment options and blockchain technology, with a 50/50 share of all product revenues. This product will only be available in states where the purchase of cannabis has been legalized. The applications will be marketed through SinglePoint’s subsidiary, SingleSeed, while AppSwarm will provide application development expertise and technical support.

The company also sees an opportunity to develop e-commerce websites as consumers become more comfortable with processing online sales. Online sales are predicted to reach $523 billion by 2020, according to Forrester Research Inc. data, marking a huge 56 percent increase over the $335 billion in sales reported in 2015 (http://dtn.fm/7JITp). Smartphones and other mobile devices are forecast to be instrumental in driving this growth. With its expertise and proprietary assessment process, AppSwarm is well placed to take advantage of this future growth.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.App-Swarm.com

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• The company has concluded six new contracts for health care services to be launched in 2018
• These contracts with health care service providers are expected to earn the company $6.6 million in revenue in 2018
• Asset management predicted to move toward digital tracking with the adoption of IoT

Since the enactment of the Affordable Care Act in March 2010, the quality of health care in the United States has been improving, with a growing number of Americans affording health insurance, according to a report from the Harvard School of Public Health (http://dtn.fm/5aZj2). In 2011, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) drew up a national strategy to drive quality improvement at local, state and national health facilities by making health care more patient-centered, in addition to being more reliable, safe and accessible. The strategy also focused on reducing the cost of quality care for all stakeholders in both the private and public sectors.

RJD Green, Inc. (OTC: RJDG) has received six new contracts for health care and insurance support services that improve providers’ administrative performance or greatly enhance the management and processing of payments, collections, and disputed invoices. Under its IOSOFT, Inc. banner, there are four new contracts launching during the first quarter of 2018, offering greatly enhanced processing and collection of payment, along with simplified operating software for the health care provider.

IOSOFT applications are compliant with integration requirements for health care insurance companies like Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna (NYSE: AET) and Cigna (NYSE: CI). IOSOFT’s solution integration into health care provider networks will enable health care professionals and health insurance providers to work together seamlessly and more efficiently. A recent IDC Health Insights report has predicted that 20 percent of commercial back office operations will be operating on cloud-driven Business Process as a Service (BPaaS), which reduces administration costs while handling payment processing more efficiently (http://dtn.fm/snpA9). It is also predicted that hospitals and other health care facilities will track assets digitally, a feat enabled via the growth of Internet of Things (IoT) technology.

RJD Green expects to derive income of $6.6 million during 2018 from its initial contracts alone, which include IoSoft medical provider efforts and RJD Green medical-related efforts. The company will continue to negotiate with potential business partners and anticipates securing new contracts during 2018 in addition to those already concluded.

Launched in 2016 and operating as a holding company, RJD Green is focused on highly profitable acquisitions across three verticals via three separate divisions. The RJD Green Healthcare Services division is built on establishing long-term relationships with key health care providers. The second division, Earthlinc, allows the company to offer green technologies to solve environmental issues for businesses of all sizes. RJD Green’s third service division is Silex Holdings Inc., which was established to manage acquisitions with high-growth assets, specifically in industrial contracting, building material products and services. RJD Green’s focus is on assisting its business partners in maximizing their potential through the company’s business management expertise.

The company is looking to form strategic alliances as either owners or joint venture partners in a wide range of business enterprises. RJD Green actively seeks to develop opportunities from business owners, investment bankers, private equity companies, wealth advisors, vendors and legal and accounting advisors. Its primary focus is to create profitability while enhancing shareholder value for it enterprises and joint venture partners.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.RJDGreen.com

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• Bitcoin ATMs added 106 new units worldwide in 2017— a 7.5 percent jump from the prior year
• U.S. and Canada, combined, have almost 73 percent of the global market with 1,104 bitcoin ATMs
• CIIX, in addition to agreeing to a bitcoin ATM installation at its San Gabriel, California, offices, also broadcasts ‘Bitcoin Multimillionaire’, a daily video on bitcoin news emanating from the NYSE

ChineseInvestors.com, Inc. (OTCQB: CIIX) has jumped into the growing global market for bitcoin ATMs. According to Coin ATM Radar, installations of the ATMs are on pace to grow by 7.5 percent to 1,515 units across 19 countries this year (http://dtn.fm/dxd8K). CIIX agreed for Blockchain BTM, LLC, to add one such unit in the lobby of its San Gabriel, California, headquarters (http://dtn.fm/A2Zck). Blockchain BTM, with its CIIX location unit, increased the number of its installed machines to nine, all located in California (http://dtn.fm/Nc5of).

This installation also means a greater commitment by CIIX to bitcoin education and marketing. It is a strategy for CIIX to reach the Chinese-speaking community worldwide with bitcoin marketing, even though Chinese regulators have banned sales of bitcoin. At the same time, Chinese regulators see potential in the blockchain technology behind bitcoin, according to a report by CNBC (http://dtn.fm/omf2O).

CIIX is a diverse educational and consulting company to the Chinese-speaking community located in China and the U.S. Its primary revenue streams have been from subscriptions and investor relations services. It has also marketed a line of hemp oil-based cannabidiol (CBD) products under the OptHemp brand, as well as hemp-infused skin care products through wholly-owned subsidiary CBD Biotechnology Co., Ltd.

Most recently, the company has offered educational and sales services related to bitcoin cryptocurrency. CIIX’s goal is to become the primary Chinese publicly-traded company that offers real-time information on its website. CIIX is planning to introduce new cryptocurrency subscription products for January 2018. It also offers a new, free website for bitcoin news and education under the domain name NewCoins168.com (http://dtn.fm/MMq9C).

Even as China itself has shut down most bitcoin trading, CIIX is now offering, in partnership with Wall Street Multimedia, Inc., a daily video on bitcoin from the NYSE, and it has also agreed to the installation of the bitcoin ATM in San Gabriel, California.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.ChineseInvestors.com

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• Assets grew in first three quarters despite slump in oil sales
• Reported record EBITDA growth during the year
• Agreement in Cyprus positions company at crossroads of Middle East-to-Europe shipping

As the economies of some African nations show signs of new growth resulting from the ongoing production of their oil resources (http://dtn.fm/osPj9), Petrogress, Inc. (OTC: PGAS) is building on its years of networking with trading partners along the continent’s west coast and in the Mediterranean region while it expands its operations into Europe and the U.S. to create a diversified revenue stream in the oil and gas shipping industries.

Petrogress, Inc. began 2017 with a vision of increasing monthly deliveries of crude oil through the purchase of additional tankers to complement its fleet of five transports from Greece to western Africa, as well as the completion of oil exploration and refinery negotiations in Ghana. At the end of the third quarter, the company reported that it was negotiating the purchase of two Aframaxes tankers and a 55 percent interest in a shuttle tanker. Despite a recent slump in African crude oil sales (http://dtn.fm/5H7Gk) and the comparable effect on the company’s sales volume revenues and gross profits, Petrogress reported a rise in profitability from 3.82 percent to 13.14 percent with a record adjusted report of earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of just over $2 million at nine months’ end. Total assets grew during the period from $9.79 million to $14.03 million.

“We are generating strong operational and financial results in spite to the adverse oil market pricing… We are seeing strong indications of continued growth and remain confident in our ability to drive profitability and increase volumes across our platform to deliver enhanced shareholders value,” Petrogress President and CEO Christos P. Traios stated in reporting the results (http://dtn.fm/R6tEU).

“We put several pieces into place preparing for activities planned over the next several quarters,” Traios added in November when the quarterly Form 10-Q was filed. “We’ve pre-paid anticipated expenses and pre-positioned personnel and assets that we’ll use over the next six to twelve months building our business in Cypriot ports, pursuing important, government-sponsored joint ventures in Libya, and finalizing our offshore production and lease arrangements in Ghana.”

The formation in early November of PG Cypyard & Offshore Service Terminal Ltd. (“Cypyard”) through Petrogress’s wholly owned subsidiary Petrogress Int’l, LLC, provided the company with the means to conclude negotiations with the Cyprus Ports Authority for an operations and management pact in Hellenic Cyprus that includes a long-term lease with renewal options covering all in-place port facilities, such as floating dock and dry dock areas with cranes and scaffolding, construction and repair workshops and storage and the necessary on-site administrative office space.

Traios characterized existing facilities in the Port of Limassol as “in fairly good shape” and ready to operate with a minimal investment of time and money (http://dtn.fm/MxbI5). Cyprus and its confirmed energy reserves are located at the crossroads of sea lanes and potential pipeline routes linking Europe and the Middle East.

Petrogress, like other corporations in the oft-volatile energy industry, continues to make adjustments to its operations to accommodate changes in the world’s political and economic landscapes. Economic analysts predict that the price of oil will continue to rise in the coming years (http://dtn.fm/J5rYr), and the recent appointment of two industry experts to the Petrogress advisory board is expected to help the company capitalize on growth opportunities as it develops a comprehensive lobbying and government outreach program to further its business plans in the United States, European Union and African continent.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.PetrogressInc.com

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• Urban planning ‘Smart City’ solutions provider
• Interests in the LED and cannabis sectors
• XFIRE Smart Systems poised to win many contracts

As advances in digital technology continue to transform our private lives, they are, naturally, at the same time altering the way we congregate in villages, towns and cities. Cities may arise organically through random factors such as geography, natural resources and migration, but such ‘free growth’ left unchecked can result in disaster. There are indications, for example, that Houston’s ‘hands-off approach to urban planning… may have contributed to (the) catastrophic flooding from Hurricane Harvey’, according to this Washington Post report (http://dtn.fm/Xh9ey). To deal with such unintended consequences at the macro level, modern urban management is now embracing the concept of the smart city, a single entity designed to improve the quality of life of its citizenry through the implementation of user-friendly digital technologies. In response to this new paradigm, AV1 Group, Inc. (OTC: AVOP), through its XFIRE Smart Systems division, is offering a menu of urban development solutions to manage city assets and services more efficiently through the integration of cutting edge information technology.

The smart city concept is more than just hyperbole or hype. At the recently concluded (October 3-5) third annual Smart Cities Week in Washington, D.C., participants discussed the best ways to implement modern transportation infrastructure, offer Wi-Fi to the public, satisfy energy requirements and provide protection against a variety of violent threats. The smart city concept also embraces human psychology and mental health, a hot button topic given the recent spate in U.S. mass killings. One workshop had the theme ‘Happiness as a City Indicator’. Given the eclectic mix of services any modern city requires at present, only the most innovative companies like AVOP are offering the right solutions.

This menu of services includes the Apollo LED Series, which is more than an intelligent lighting solution. The Apollo has the capability to provide street-wide wireless access for many different applications. Its design includes an all-in-one housing that incorporates a wireless MESH radio. This allows remote access and monitoring of infrastructure but also allows for secure access to additional applications. One such application is the iSLC, an intelligent wireless controller that uses state-of-the-art self-forming and self-healing mesh networking. Economical enough for employment on individual lamps by remote operation, each iSLC provides dimming of LED lamps based either on programmable dimming schedules or inputs from motion and light sensors. The iSLC is powered using a DC input provided by the LED power supply and can work in conjunction with legacy lighting products.

Since the wirelessly-integrated Apollo iSLC Series can communicate on frequencies of 900MHz, 2.4GHz and 5GHz and has the ability to create a MESH network over a city block or a city-wide area, it is ideal for deployment in smart parking meters that will accept payments made electronically. The iSLC can also work with charging stations, which, as EV adoption grows, are likely to become as ubiquitous as gas stations are now. The same factors apply to utility meters. With the integrated Automated Meter Reading/Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMR/AMI) solution, municipalities can replace manual drive-by solutions with digital meters that MESH and link wirelessly to a central network. This will save time and costs while improving customer service and the ability to accurately monitor and control valuable resources.

Recently, AVOP announced it had initiated a pilot program for a major city in Michigan to design and implement its SMART City transition with an estimated order of approximately $5.5 million (http://dtn.fm/6s7Fe). XFIRE Smart Systems’ partner, Apollo Smart Lights, a provider of LED lighting solutions, will manufacture the lighting product for the projects. So far, the company’s XFIRE Smart Systems division has been awarded three lucrative contracts, and more are in the offing.

AVOP also has its fingers in other pies. Apart from the smart cities market, the company has subsidiaries in the LED and cannabis sectors. A recent Goldman research report highlighted these areas. It cited a July 2017 report issued by Markets and Markets that projects the outdoor LED lighting market enjoying a 13.7 percent CAGR from 2017 and reaching $21.95 billion in 2023. It also referred to ArcView data that projects the U.S. cannabis market growing by a tremendous 30 percent CAGR with revenue slated to leap from $6.7 billion in 2016 to $22.6 billion in 2021. The Goldman report has set a price target for AVOP of $0.75.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.AV1Group.com

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• U.S. national lottery market estimated at $80 billion
• Expansion plans include moving into 22 key U.S. states
• Proposals include creating unique lottery blockchain technology

Los Angeles-based LottoGopher Holdings Inc. (OTCQB: LTTGF) (CSE: LOTO) (FRA: 2LG) is disrupting the traditional experience of buying lottery tickets with its unique lottery messenger service that utilizes a secure online purchasing platform. The U.S. lottery market is described as one where 57 percent of American adults purchase lottery tickets, spending more than $80 billion on an industry that typically requires a cash-only, in-person purchase.

LottoGopher currently operates in the $6.3 billion California market (http://dtn.fm/G15ip) as a lottery messenger service that permits buyers to purchase state lottery tickets online via credit and debit cards. Members enjoy exclusive access to strategies, alerts and lottery news, and they can play alone with a single ticket or join online public or private groups to pool winnings. LottoGopher’s streamlined, mobile-friendly social platform and automated email follow-up system give California members the security of knowing that their chosen lottery tickets are in their personal accounts.

Customers of LottoGopher pay a subscription fee to use the service, much like Netflix, Amazon Prime and Dollar Shave Club. Once a subscription plan is selected, users pay the same price per ticket as if they had gone to all the trouble of driving to a retail location, standing in line, and handing over cash. LottoGopher’s team then does the legwork by securing the selected tickets from a lottery retail partner. User account balances are updated after a drawing, which makes it literally impossible to misplace that winning ticket.

LottoGopher recently signed well-known actor and personality William Shatner as its new spokesperson (http://dtn.fm/G5Rww), bringing Shatner’s pop icon status and popularity with the public to the company’s marketing campaign (http://dtn.fm/xO8aM). LTTGF’s goals by 2020 are annual sales of nearly $50 million on a paying subscriber base of approximately 500,000 users as it grows into 22 more states from its current market in California (http://dtn.fm/gNC7J).

“In the past few months we have seen an uptick in subscriptions and we want to continue this momentum,” James Morel, LottoGopher president and CEO, noted in a recent news release.

LottoGopher is also positioning itself to leverage blockchain technologies in the online lottery market. To that end, the company has retained blockchain investor and media strategist Jeff Koyen as an independent adviser (http://dtn.fm/rl5I0). The proposed lottery blockchain could increase trust and visibility in the ownership of the actual ticket, Koyen said, adding that a “Lottery Blockchain” could be beneficial to both traditional and online lotteries. In fact, Bitcoin News Service calls the combination of cryptocurrencies and online gambling a “match made in heaven” (http://dtn.fm/7FRzk).

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.LottoGopher.com

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• A merger between Skinvisible and Quoin Pharmaceuticals will enable a successful entry on the post-surgical pain management market
• Aging populations and a large number of surgical interventions in the West have contributed to significant market expansion
• By 2024, the pain management therapeutics market is expected to reach $83 billion

Skinvisible Pharmaceuticals (OTCQB: SKVI) recently announced that it has signed a Letter of Intent for a proposed merger with Quoin Pharmaceuticals Limited – a partnership that could address significant unmet medical needs on the pain management market. If both parties agree on the terms, the merger should be completed next year, with the resulting entity operating under the name Quoin Pharmaceuticals Inc. and continuing to trade on the OTCQB Venture Market.

Quoin’s strength is within the area of pharmaceutical development for products that address some of the most serious present-day health problems. Skinvisible is the developer of innovative delivery system technologies that can enhance product performance.

One of Quoin’s first lead products is QRX001 – a transdermal NMDA receptor antagonist for the effective treatment of pain following surgery. QRX001 delivers up to 72 hours of effective pain relief following surgical interventions. Almost 30 clinical studies have been performed to date on the NMDA receptor antagonist, clearly showing that sub-anesthetic doses reduced 24-hour PCA morphine consumption, reduced post-operative nausea and vomiting, reduced pain intensity and resulted in adverse events that were mild or absent, all while generating better results than any other existing single product or combination. The aim of the product is to also reduce the use of opioids for pain management following operations.

The opioid market in the US is estimated at $6 billion annually. With the opioid epidemic now deemed a National Health Emergency, there is a significant push to find new products that reduce or eliminate their use, particularly in a post-surgical setting, which is where 50 percent of people who become addicted first become exposed to these drugs.

Upon the product’s launch, QRX001 will provide surgeons with a new and effective alternative to opioids. Opioid abuse has reached an epidemic level in the U.S., with opioid overdoses causing more than 90 deaths per day (http://dtn.fm/XL9Wq). The number has grown exponentially in the past decade, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with opioid use remaining widespread despite the risks.

Today, approximately 12 million Americans report that they use pain killers in a non-medicinal way. Almost half of these victims were first introduced to opioids after undergoing surgery. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, 100 million surgeries take place in the U.S. every year (http://dtn.fm/c5JbV). At least 50 million of these surgical interventions necessitate the use of post-operative pain management pharmaceuticals.

Currently, the pain management market in the U.S. is fueled by a number of sectors. The most prominent ones include post-operative pain relief, arthritis pain, cancer pain, migraine and neuropathic pain. As larger Western populations age and become susceptible to an array of medical conditions, the need for new pain management developments will grow even larger. The partnership between Skinvisible and Quoin perfectly positions the two companies to address these growing unmet needs on the pain management market.

A proposed second product that could hit the market sooner as a result of the proposed merger is QRX002 – a transdermal NMDA receptor antagonist for the treatment of suicidal tendencies in military veterans suffering from PTSD. The product will be intended for use once per day. The fight against PTSD is of profound importance, as estimates suggest that anywhere between 25 and 30 veterans commit suicide in the U.S. every day.

A Skinvisible announcement states that new technologies and product synergies between the two companies could potentially provide significant value to shareholders following the proposed merger. Together, Skinvisible and Quoin could maximize their product development opportunities, as noted by Skinvisible President Terry Howlett in a recent news release (http://dtn.fm/eL74P).

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.Skinvisible.com

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• Letters of intent herald plans for popular digital currency wallet, marijuana business services
• Bitcoin enjoying meteoric rise; marijuana legalization continues to advance
• Large exchanges anticipating bitcoin futures contracts

Recent announcements of AppSwarm, Inc.’s (OTC: SWRM) forays into the cannabis and bitcoin industries demonstrate the mobile business incubation company’s focus on emerging revenue streams with anticipated success.

AppSwarm’s foundation is in the mobile gaming industry, which has provided it a stable of financial tech resources to leverage in accelerating ventures that don’t otherwise share much in common with game-playing apps. The company’s announcement in November that it had inked a letter of intent with USA Real Estate Holding Co. (OTC: USTC) to ride the surging popularity of bitcoin with a smartphone-based “wallet” for the alternative global currency network followed on the heels of an LOI with SinglePoint, Inc. (OTC: SING) to produce apps that will serve the cannabis industry and its consumers.

SWRM vets mobile apps with the potential for viral distribution through a proprietary screening process it refers to as the “Swarm,” drawing on decades of administrative experience in corporate turnaround and growth issues post acquisition or partnership agreement.

Bitcoin has remained somewhat controversial in the United States, despite signs that the digital currency is gaining traction among mainstream investors. At the close of November trading, Reuters reported Internet searches for information about bitcoin exceeded searches related to President Donald Trump for the first time (http://dtn.fm/eNK4r). Bitcoin trading had risen almost 1,100 percent year-over-year before volatile forces kicked in as some investors decided to cash-out profits.

The report stated that some large exchanges, such as Nasdaq, CBOE Holdings and CME Group, plan to introduce futures contracts based on bitcoin. Blockchain.info, which is one of the largest established bitcoin wallet providers worldwide, said that it added more than 100,000 customers on a single day amid the speculation, taking its total to more than 19 million.

Likewise, cannabis production is gaining popularity amid an advancing wave of legislation throughout the United States and other countries, where the marijuana plant is being touted for its potential medicinal properties as well as its recreational benefits. Canada, in particular, is poised to legalize recreational use of the drug nationwide in July (http://dtn.fm/wI7BL), prompting local governments to begin rushing regulatory processes into place as farming and testing companies anticipate the need for quality-controlled extracts.

AppSwarm’s bread and butter in the mobile app market targets a multi-billion dollar industry with a compound annual growth rate of 31 percent, according to the company’s own research. SWRM finished 2016 with $589,000 in annual revenues and corporate debt reduction of well over $500,000, and the company has maintained revenue production throughout the course of 2017. The company expects to report revenues of $6 million to $7 million by the end of 2018 (http://dtn.fm/x5zBh).

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.App-Swarm.com

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• Demand for large grid-connected lithium batteries climbing
• Demand from electric vehicle industry also rising
• Company expanding exploration and production activities to meet demand

Utilities all around the world are plugging into lithium batteries, a trend that is establishing a new paradigm in the energy industry. Long employed at the micro level to power electrical and electronic devices, lithium batteries are now being employed at the macro level to power entire cities. Power utilities, in an effort to increase reliability of supply, are hooking up giant lithium battery installations to their grids. Already pressured by requirements from the electric vehicle (EV) industry, demand for lithium is set to increase. That development is spurring Standard Lithium Ltd. (TSX.V: SLL) (FRA: S5L) (OTCQX: STLHF) to intensify its exploration efforts, as it recently added 6,000 more acres to its Bristol Dry Lake Lithium Project. The company is aiming to become a significant low-cost, domestic producer of battery-grade lithium materials.

In February 2017, the largest grid-tied lithium-ion battery system in the U.S. was completed by the Southern California utility San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E). This massive energy storage facility was constructed after state officials mandated power companies to add lithium-ion battery storage to their grids, according to Ars Technica (http://dtn.fm/Jkem1). The directive was prompted by a massive methane leak at the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility operated by the Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas). The SDG&E grid-tied lithium-ion storage facility has a 30MW battery system capable of storing 120MWH of energy, enough to serve 20,000 customers for four hours.

Despite its recent commissioning, the scale of the SDG&E facility has already been exceeded. In November 2017, the South Australian government announced the completion of the world’s largest lithium-ion battery just outside the city of Jamestown (http://dtn.fm/FcBj0). The battery behemoth can store 129 MWH of energy and deliver 100MW of power. It was built by Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) and is meant to reduce the incidence of recent power outages, one of which affected an area the size of France. Although often confused, power and energy and their units of measurement are distinctly different. Energy (megawatt-hours) can be compared to a reservoir of water that is part of a hydro-electric facility. The larger the size of the dam, the more potential energy the facility possesses. However, power (megawatts), the rate at which that potential energy is converted to usable form, is equally important.

As these developments continue, Standard Lithium is expanding its operations in California. The company recently announced (http://dtn.fm/Fl4gh) its entry into a memorandum of understanding with TETRA Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: TTI) aimed at securing access to additional operating and permitted land of approximately 12,100 acres in Bristol Dry Lake and up to 11,840 acres in the adjacent Cadiz Dry Lake of California’s Mojave Desert. The Bristol Dry Lake is a flat salt dry lake, or playa, that occupies approximately 155 sq. km in a 2,000 sq. km arid drainage basin. The actual project area covers over 25,000 acres of the playa. Standard Lithium recently signed a mineral lease agreement with National Chloride Corporation of America, which has, in the past, mined the near-surface brines to produce concentrated chloride products for various industrial applications. As a result, a lot of the required infrastructure is already in place.

The property, situated approximately 200 km from Las Vegas and 330 km east of the port of Los Angeles, has electric power and water and is crossed in the northwest by a major paved road (Route 66). There is also a Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad adjacent to the site with a purpose-built siding and loading spur-line.

However, extensive as they are, its California assets are not all that Standard Lithium has to offer. The company is also exploring for lithium in the Smackover Formation, which extends through Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana, and has produced billions of barrels of brines over the last 80 years from an extensive and extremely well-characterized aquifer.

As global demand for lithium continues to climb, Standard Lithium is ramping up its exploration and product activities. The Canada-based junior exploration company continues to acquire lithium rich properties in the U.S. It plans to unlock value from overlooked U.S. lithium assets by applying new technologies and processes.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.StandardLithium.com

• Cobalt demand is soaring
• First Cobalt aims to be world’s largest pure play in cobalt
• Completing three-way merger, First Cobalt takes another giant step toward goal

Cobalt demand continues to soar. Already essential for super-alloys, space vehicles, rocket engines and power plants, cobalt’s unique properties are crucial in high density Li-ion batteries and greatly extend the range of electric vehicles (EV) between charges. Current industrial and governmental uses of cobalt are so vital that the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency designated lithium cobalt oxide and lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide compounds as strategic for national interests and has been stockpiling cobalt since 2014.

Last year, high-energy lithium-ion cells and the EV battery industry consumed about 6.5 percent of refined cobalt, and there’s currently a deficit of around 900 tons of cobalt this year. EV cobalt usage is pegged to increase to about 17 percent of total production within four years and drive deficits to nearly 130,000 tons (http://dtn.fm/7m8XY). Concernedly, about 60 percent of the world’s cobalt now comes from the politically unstable Democratic Republic of Congo, where forced child labor and corruption are rampant.

Positioned to exploit the burgeoning demand imbalance, First Cobalt Corp. (TSX.V: FCC) (OTCQB: FTSSF) has just taken another giant step toward rapidly assembling the largest (and politically stable) portfolio of cobalt assets in the world. First Cobalt just announced the completion of its merger with Cobalt One, combining complementary portfolios of high quality cobalt exploration assets (http://dtn.fm/9tMBd). Upon completion of the mergers with Cobalt One Ltd. and CobalTech Mining Inc., First Cobalt will control over 10,000 hectares of prospective land and 50 historic mining operations in the Cobalt Camp of Ontario, Canada, as well as a mill and a permitted refinery facility.

The combined company will also own the only permitted cobalt refinery in North America designed to produce battery materials. In a news release, Trent Mell, president and chief executive officer of First Cobalt, stated, “We are one step closer to creating the largest pure play cobalt company in the world. We look forward to seeing First Cobalt shares trade on the ASX, as this dual listing will bring a much larger shareholder base and added liquidity.”

Australia-based Cobalt One shareholders overwhelmingly approved the First Cobalt transaction, with over 99% of votes cast in favor of the merger. The assets of Cobalt One logistically and synergistically fit with the scope of First Cobalt’s mission of becoming the largest pure play cobalt company in the world. With current cobalt deficits, a paucity of stable resources and global demand soaring, First Cobalt’s recent merger should garner the company recognition as a global leader in cobalt resources.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.FirstCobalt.com

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